Playing catch up -- Troika and CDA Olympic

Well, its been way too long since I blogged, and a ton has happened since my last post. So, in an attempt to get back on track, I'll do an all-in-one summary of my last 2 tri's of the season.

First up was Troika, a local 1/2 Ironman that I did for the first time last year. That race didn't go so well, mainly because that was the race where my plantar faciitis started. Foot pain aside, I really didn't have a good race in 07, so this year my goal was to do a more consistent, smarter effort. Other than that, I didn't have any time or placing goals in mind...this race was going to be purely a race against myself.

2 other things weighed on my mind going into Troika: one, I absolutely despise this distance, because I have never figured out if I should try and go fast (like an olympic) or go slower and enjoy the day (like Ironman). My 2 previous 1/2's have been miserable. In fact, I think they were both tougher on me than any of my 3 Ironmans. Second, I was still getting used to my new, more aggressive bike position, and I was a bit worried how my body would hold up over 56 miles.

All things considered, however, I felt great race morning: rested, confident in my training, and ready for a good day. We got to Medical Lake very early, to secure a primo transition spot, and I spent a good hour trying to stay warm before the sun came up.

Feeling relaxed, ready for a good day.

Hmmmm, these arms look a bit wimpy...no wonder I get killed in the swim

Speaking of the swim, it was ok, but nothing to write home about. My effort was nice and even, and I felt like I stayed on course pretty well. By this point in the season, I know that I am going to be way down coming out of the water, and I've learned to not get stressed or bummed about it. So mentally, it was a good swim. Got some good cheers from my Tri Fusion friends on the way up to T1 and was out of my wetsuit and on to the bike in no time! I am really happy with how my T1's have improved this year...I'll attribute it to my awesome B70 wetsuit (way easier to get out of) and clipping my shoes onto my bike before the race.

Off I go!

This year, I held myself back on the first 15 miles of the bike, and it really paid off. I still passed a bunch of people, but I didn't feel like I was pushing.

Me and my new, more aero bike position. I like the looks of this waaaaayyyy better than in the past...much less upper torso exposure to the wind.

Hmmmm, still looking a little upright, but could be the fact that I'm 40 miles in....still smiling at least!

My bike time was 2:33, almost 5 min faster than last year, and coming off the bike I felt amazingly fresh.

My "steady/consistent effort" goal went right out the window when I started the run...I blazed out of T2 at close to 7:00 pace (aka way too fast for me in a half). The good news was that I caught up to a guy who seemed to be running my pace, and I settled in next to him. Imagine my good fortune when I asked his name. Steve! It just would not do to be racing with anyone whose name was anything other than Steve. Again, more awesome cheers from the gang, including Trish on the mega-fusion, kept me clicking along nicely. I still have not yet gotten used to the idea of hearing my name before I can even see the cheer squad :) In fact, Troika Steve even commented once on how many people out there seemed to know me. I told him I was famous. Ok, not really, but still, its pretty freaking cool to have a ton of support out there. I was doing fine until I hit Mile 8, and then I had to struggle to get home in one piece. After leaving Troika Steve in the dust, "local Steve" and Team Thompson found me and were nice enough to yell some encouraging words out the car window. Something like "it hurts the same whether you are going fast or slow, so you might as well go fast". Ha. Whatever. Their presence, although annoying because it meant I couldn't walk, was awesome, and I'm sure was the main reason I was able to get to the line in under 5 hours. Barely. My finish time was 4:57:50. All in all, a darn good day. I still don't like 1/2's, but this one was the best one of the 3 I have done.

The next week, it was time for the long-awaited rematch between Steve and I, and there was quite a bit of friendly trash talking in the days leading up to the race. It sounded like there were going to be quite a few Tri Fusion folks out either racing or watching, so there was a little added pressure.

My mom-in-law Jennifer and my sis-in-law Megan happened to be coming thru town on their way to moving Megan to Seattle from Connecticut, and they were nice enough to get up at some crazy hour to come out and cheer me on. The weather was a bit dicey as we arrived at the race, with intermittent rain showers coming thru. Apparantly my cheer crew got caught in the middle of one......

At least they had their Starbucks to keep them warm :)

Phaedra tries to keep the peace between the combatants pre race.....

The start was the usual thrash, and even though Steve and I started sort of near eachother on the beach, I knew he was going to be outta sight in a hurry. So, imagine my suprise when, about 100m in, I caught up to him as he was treading water trying to fix his goggles. He got going again just as I was passing him (not sure if he knew it was me next to him at the time), and soon enough he was pulling away. For a moment I had a notion of trying to get on his feet and let him pull me thru, but a moment of hesitation and that good idea was no more. Oh well...I was prepared to give up some major time to him on the swim, cause he's been swimming like a maniac at the master's swims. Overall, I was happy with my swim (including the heavy downpour that went over us...kind of a cool feeling), and I just caught a glimpse of Steve-o heading to the mount line with his bike as I was getting to my transition spot. Ok, so at least he's within reach.

Once out on the bike, I put the hammer down to catch him as soon as possible. As another testament to how damn well we know eachother, Steve said his goal was to hold me off on the bike until we hit the hill on Yellowstone. Anyone care to guess the precise moment when I caught him? Yep, just as we turned onto the hill. I went by him pretty quick, and I heard him say something choice, but I couldn't respond because I was in major O2 debt. He responded very well and we pretty much stayed together for the rest of the ride. I'm betting that I only ever got 15-20 seconds ahead of him. After he passed me going down the last big hill (the road was wet, and its a scary descent when its dry, so I was too wussy to push it), I went back by him on the flats and was a whopping 4 seconds up on him going into T2. About 0.75 min later, we had both exited T2, with Steve dropping the top T2 time of the 669 racers, and me having the second fastest T2. Sweet! He took 2 seconds off of my lead, so it was about as close as it could be heading to the run. This run was going to prove to be a barn-burner, super fun to watch, and intense to be part of.

I ran my butt off out of the park, wondering if I could put any time on Steve-o early. Turns out I did (about 15-20 sec thru 3 miles), but not because of my "amazing" running speed. He had to stop and, uh, use the facilities somewhere around mile 2. Of course I didn't know it at the time. I just thought it might be my day. Ha ha ha. Even though I never once turned around to see where he was, I could just somehow :) feel that I was putting time on him. At mile 2, I decided to see how far I could get until he caught me, thinking that if I could hold him off until mile 4, I might have a shot, that maybe I would have run his kick out of his legs making him chase me. A few other folks passed me, and every time one did, I had a moment of terror that it was Steve-o, and then the glorious relief that it wasn't him! Until mile 3.5, that is. The gap erased, it was now him in control, and me hanging on for dear life. In another example of how split second decisions can make all the difference, when he went by me, I had to put in a surge to get to his shoulder, and if I hadn't, I am convinced that I would have faded fast and he would have beaten me by about 15 min. But, I survived the 10 sec of pain to stay with him, and then we settled into the closing acts of the battle royale. Stride for stride we went, with teammates going the other way cheering us on, and one guy even saying "hey look, twins!" as we went by. Mile 4, still together. Mile 5, shoulder to shoulder. I was hurting, but it was so much fun, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I felt like we were rock star pros out there, battling it out for the overall win. I had a quick flashback to fight-to-the-death high school cross country races, and I was loving it!

Into the final mile, Steve started testing me by putting in a few well-timed surges. I managed to cover them all, but it was painful every time. Had I remembered my old cross country tactics, I should have put in a re-surge once I caught him, but it was really all I could do just to get back to his shoulder. Coming into the final 800m, I knew there was a short downhill, and I sensed my doom was approaching fast. Steve can run down hills fast....I can't. Game, set, match. He surged at precisely the right moment, I couldn't cover, and just like that it was all over. I'd like to think that if the last elevation change on the course had been UP rather than DOWN, the outcome would have been different, but it doesn't matter. Today, Steve-o was 17 seconds better than me, and he deserves every bit of glory he wants to take. The great thing about training and racing with him, though, is the only glory he chose to take was a few lighthearted jokes. As soon as it was over, we were back to the friendly teammates we've always been. Awesome. It was a hell of a battle, and we were both trying to drive eachother into the ground, and as soon as we hit the tape, it was over.

So, now Steve has his victory, and its all tied up 1-1. Can't wait for the next one!!

En route to Maggie Moos, after an A+ day!!

P.S. Other than "beat Steve", my only other goal for this race was to finish anywhere OTHER than 4th in my age group. The last 2 years, I have been 4th, and it sucks. Once place away from the medal stand. Even though I know it really comes down to who shows up, finishing 4th for some reason pisses me off. So this year, I would have been happy with 5th, 6th, heck, 12th. Just not 4th!!! Please!

Because I couldn't bring myself to see it for myself, Steve was gentle as he broke the bad news to me...4th again! WHAT THE HELL?!?!?! 3 freaking years in a row?!?! You cannot be serious! The only thing that softened the blow was that I would have had to go 4 min faster to get 3rd, which I know is impossible. Oh well, maybe if this keeps up, in like 15 years they'll give me something for consistently being "oh so close" :)

Tiger Tri Race Report

Only one thing to say about this race . . . . .

Near miss......

I'll start this post by espousing my new theory on the cost of bike tires:

The distance you can skid a bike tire before it wears all the way through is roughly 10-20% more than the cost of said tire. For example, if you buy a $50 tire, you can expect that it will hold up for somewhere between 55 and 65 feet of a skid before you wear through it.

And now, the reason why I will never ever hesitate to buy an expensive tire......

Last evening, we hosted the weekly club BLT ride from our house. My plan was to do 2 loops and then do a quick 4 mile run, since I rarely can get home in time for both loops. So at 5, I set off for loop #1 with Kirk, Johnny B, Craig and Eric. Just past Death Hill 1, there is a nice descent which, when the street is dry and not full of gravel, I usually like to hammer down in aero. Its always been a fun descent for me, and even though it technically is on a road that is open to cars, we very rarely see any cars. Nevertheless, before I hit the speed, I always check to see if any cars are behind me, and of course I stay well to the right to keep clear of any cars coming up the hill. The descent is a bit curvy, and it is a bit tough to see very far ahead, but I never worry about it because I'm well positioned on the right.

Yesterday, as I came around the last corner at the bottom, I saw a car parked on the other side of the road. About 2 milliseconds later, I saw this car take a hard left directly into my path, presumably attempting to do a U-turn. Things happened pretty quickly thereafter, but it is safe to say that the lady driving didn't bother to look and thus had absolutely no clue that there were 5 cyclists coming down the hill at rapid speed. I was in front, so the guys behind had a few more milliseconds to react. I hit the brakes as hard as I could and prayed that SOMEHOW I could slow down enough before I got to her. I was going 37.9mph at the moment I hit the brakes. Takes a long time to slow up from a speed like that....

Since I was purely reactionary at this point, I went right. In hindsight, this was a very bad move, because she was also going left to right. So she was essentially pinching me off to the right side of the road, which was quickly evaporating. Fortunately, the guys behind had the time to make the better decision and go left, which meant they could clear her back bumper no problem. Me, I just kept seeing her car get closer and closer, faster and faster. I got to maybe within six inches of her right rear quarter panel, then I ran out of road and took a slight detour into the dirt/gravel. Crap. I was sure at this point that I was going down. I have no idea how I managed to avoid hitting her car, and what is even more amazing is that thru all of it, I did not go down. Whoa.

I think it was just about the time that I passed her that she realized what was going on. Hmmmm, maybe the fact that there were cyclists passing her quickly on all sides? Or maybe it was the fact that we were all screaming our heads off at her? Regardless, once we all got stopped, Craig pointed out that my back tire was flat, and it was then that I discovered the gaping hole in my tire. So, apparantly I had locked up my back wheel and skidded. Yet again, amazing that I didn't go down, since I'm betting that I was fish-tailing a bit while skidding.

While we were trying to figure out what to do, Johnny went back and gave the idiot driver a piece of his mind, in a rather loud voice :) Something about "look where you are going, you almost killed that guy, etc" It took me awhile before I could even get my wheel off, because I had so much adrenaline pounding through my veins, I was literally shaking. Craig offered me a patch kit to get me back home (since of course this all happened about as far away from my house as you can get on the loop), but we decided it was too tore up to try and fix. That, and the patch needed to be about the size of Rhode Island, and really, who carries patches that big? :)

So, Kirk got on the cell and called his wife Susan, to come and get me. Meanwhile, Johnny was so impressed with my awesome bike handling skills (aka AMAZING LUCK) in not laying it down, that he wanted to know how far I had skidded. He paced it off at roughly 70 feet. Eric, who was right behind me, had also skidded, and it was interesting to see our skids and where we diverged. He went left (good call), I went right (bad call). I hope to get back out there soon and try and get some pictures of our awesome skid marks.

With Susan on the way, the group headed out to finish up their loop, and I walked up to the road to wait. Susan and I got the bike and my sad-looking wheel loaded up and headed back home. I really can't thank her enough for coming out to rescue me, because that would have been a long-ass walk back home :)

We got back home just as everyone was finishing up their first loops, and as I got out of the car, I said "Whew, that was a good ride, really worked hard the last half...ha ha ha" :) Kirk had let Andy know what happened and that I was alive, and had already gotten my race wheel ready to go for loop 2. Thank goodness that I had that spare wheel! A quick wheel change, and I was ready to go, albeit an easier, slower loop :) The second loop proceeded without incident, although I did take it easy going down the now infamous hill. I checked out my skid mark, and it was sweet!

So, my brush with death is over, and I probably don't really know just how lucky I was, or how close I really came with a nasty accident. Fine. I'm actually not sure I ever want to know :)

And my advice to the rest of my triathlon family is this: don't skimp on tires. More expensive is better. Because you never know when you will need that extra 25 bucks worth of tire!!

P.S. I hope to get some pictures up soon, at the very least a picture of the awesome hole I shredded into my tire

Ironman Coeur d'Alene race report

At long last....the (maybe) much-awaited Ironman race report! My apologies for the lateness of this report. The past week or so, my body and brain have been wasted...for the reason why, keep reading! :)

My day began darn early, but I was so keyed up that I had no problem getting right out of bed at 2:45am. After a quick wake-up shower and breakfast, it was time to hit the road. But not before a very touching surprise was discovered...

The sight that greeted me when I went outside at 3:30am. I feel truly loved and blessed by my friends!

I wondered later how they got this sign up. I even thought they may have borrowed my ladder...

Or not....please don't drop Tiffany, Steve!

No problem for Team A+!!! The absolutely hilarious thing about this picture is, and what poor Steve and Tiff don't know, is that my extension ladder happens to be sitting along the side of the house, mere feet to Steve and Tiff's right. I am just glad no one got hurt!

Jessi adds some Tri Fusion love to my tree :)

Even though I didn't really get much solid sleep Saturday night, I never heard a thing from what was going on outside. Apparantly Steve even popped a balloon right in our driveway and I didn't hear anything!

We picked up Kirk at 3:45am and hit the road for CDA. After a stop for gas and our ritual stop at the last rest stop before CDA, we snagged a primo parking spot right in front of Oz Fitness. Mercifully, the winds were not blowing like a hurricane like last year. Yes! The first good sign of the day!!

Got my tires pumped up and bike loaded with food/fluids in short order, and headed back to the car to drop off my pump. Selfishly, I only had to deny one other athlete the use of my pump, because I didn't want to get stuck like last year waiting around for my pump to be freed up. Karma lesson #1: be nice to your fellow athletes. If you don't, it will come back on you. Keep reading for the "teaching" of this lesson.

After Kirk and I parted ways, Andy and I found a nice, quiet spot on Independence Point to get sunscreened and tattooed up. Gazing out at the water, there was very little wind and hardly any chop. Second good sign of the day!! Then I headed back into transition, and my legs unconsciously led me back to my bike. Not sure why I felt the need to check over my bike one last time, but I'm damn glad I did. I checked my front tire and it was completely flat. S*#t!!! One hour to race time, and my bike pump karma comes back to bite me in the ass. After 15 seconds of scrambling around and seeing how long the tech support line is, I realize that I have everything I need to solve this problem right here on my bike. With some calming words from my friends Joe and Matt, I succeed in changing my flat in about 2 minutes. Definitely a record. Amazing what adrenaline will do for you. The only problem was, now I only had 1 spare tube on my bike. Best not to tempt fate and dwell on this fact...so I somehow shut this episode out of my mind. I headed over to the Tri Fusion swim prep corner and proceeded to get ready. Once the flat episode adrenaline wore off, I returned to a sense of calm, as I was still in great shape time-wise.

Getting suited up and ready to go. Is it possible to be nervous and calm at the same time? The calmness I will attribute to Andy, Tiff, Jessi, Steve and the rest of the Tri Fusion supporters who were watching over us like super-protective parents.

I headed down to the beach with about 35 min to go, and made it thru the timing mat bottleneck relatively quickly. Another good sign! I found Andy and the rest of Team A+ and had a nice few minutes to chill out.

Emma taunts me pre-race with her pumpkin scone. For some strange reason, the sight of Emma eating this tasty treat calms me down. It is our shared obsession, but she is smart enough to know that I shouldn't have a bite before my big race!

Me and "The Worlds Best Iron-Sherpa", pre-warm up (I think we both look nervous here)

What a great day for racing!!

After a quick warm up swim and a last "warm up" it was time to wait for the cannon.

Boom!! And we are off... look at those amazing water conditions!!

Well, everyone else is off...I'm still waiting :)

Now its my turn....off I go!

Moments later, the rest of Team A+ critiques my swim stroke. Jessi: "See, he's totally moving a ton of water with this stroke!" Tiffany: "That's awesome! He'll be out of the water in just a few minutes!" Emma: "I'm glad he didn't get any of my pumpkin scone!" Andy: "Oh boy, hope this swim is better than last year!"

Swim: Compared to last year, my swim was AWESOME! My time wasn't what I was hoping for, but I still felt great coming out of the water. Water temp at race time was 59.5, which felt darn near balmy compared to Thursday's 54. I am so glad that I toughed out that Thursday workout...I'm convinced that it paid off on race day. As planned, I stayed way out of trouble and very far to the right side of the course. Because it is a counter-clockwise swim, this meant that I probably swam a few tenths extra, but it didn't matter much to me. I stayed calm and confident the entire swim, which set up the rest of my day very nicely. I even managed to find some good drafts on occasion!

Swim time: 1:18:23 (10:13 faster than 2007)

Don't I look happy? :)

T1: No problem getting my wetsuit and swim socks off, thanks to 2 of the 1000's of wonderful volunteers. Found my bag without too much trouble, and then it was into the chaos of the change tent. Fortunately, I was ready for this, and proceeded quickly past the 2 naked guys (come on guys, really?!?) and down to the far end of the tent. This is where I knew there would be open seats, and I set to work drying off and getting my jersey, arm warmers, socks, etc on. I knew from last year that taking the time to put arm warmers on a wet body would be frustratingly slow, but I would rather take a few extra minutes here to be comfortable on the first part of the bike. I ended up sitting next to Brian (who had a smokin' fast swim) and across from Frank, so it was nice to see some familiar faces in the craziness of the T1 tent. Out of the tent, I took a cup of Gatorade from the ever-inspiring Jay and Michelle from Tri Fusion. More friendly faces!

T1 time: 7:35 (1:21 faster than 2007)

Bike: What can I say...I had a PHENOMENAL bike, for me. I pretty much rode on feel, not trying to push too hard. But at the same time, I could feel almost from the first mile that I was moving along much better than the last 2 years. As usual, I passed a ton of people early on, and just felt great. I never even had the nagging "when is this going to go south?" doubts creep into my mind. I ditched my gloves early on (thanks to Kevin Best for catching them) and tossed my arm warmers to Steve at mile 40. There were even times during the first loop where I felt like I could have gone faster, but I had alot of good "self talk" and made myself take it easy and, most of all, keep a solid, consistent effort. Somewhere early on, while telling myself to take it easy, I ended up with the Tom Petty song "American Girl" in my head, particularly the line "take it easy, baby, make it last all night." Funny how an Ironman brain works, me thinks :)

At about the 30 mile mark, I saw the sight I had secretly been waiting for: the Tri Fusion "IronFan" crew. I didn't know what was in store for us, but it was, as promised, above and beyond. The highlight (which would morph into the "TF signature") was the bull horn. On the bike, I always feel bad for people who stand around for hours and wait for certain athletes to come by, because the athletes are gone in a flash. And so other than a moment of screaming and clapping, there's really not much you can do. It sort of is the same deal for the athlete: you get a quick boost when you see someone you know, but then, pretty quickly, its back to suffering in the saddle. Well, leave it to A+ to solve that one! With the bull horn amplifying their already crazy-mad cheering voices, I was serenaded to many extended well wishes, "keep pushings", "A+ you freaking rock(s)", etc from Jessi and Tiffany. It was, in a word, AMAZING!!! I literally couldn't wait to get back to the corner they were at, just so I could soak up the rock star feeling some more!

As you can see, the presense of the IronFan van made me VERY happy! :)

Here's part of the awesome crew: Steve, Tiffany, Andy, Roger

More of the crew!

More happiness coming thru the Tri Fusion "Miracle Corner". I'll note the presence of my friend Angie in this picture....she and I went back and forth MANY times on the bike, and it became a running (or would that be cycling?) joke whenever one of us would go by the other. It was a great mental break that kept my perspective in the right place.

Coming into town for the last time, I knew that I was going to come in under 6 hours, which had been one of my "ultimate" goals. So, lemme tell you, that last 5 miles of the bike was a major celebration, as I soaked up and reveled in my effort.

Bike time: 5:53:00 (13:08 faster than 2007, average mph = 19.0....WHAT?!?!?)

T2: I always love the second time I get to the transition tent at Ironman, because its always less crowded than T1, and there is an air of "we can do this" floating around. I had a very kind volunteer helping me with my stuff, asking if he could get me anything. I somehow remembered to ask for some Vaseline for my eyes, since I always seem to chafe right at the corners of my eyes, so I knew that my mind wasn't totally gone (yet). I did have the mental focus to say out loud to this volunteer "well, now we'll see how much I have left in my legs" This question would prove to be quite prophetic. My buddy Joe sped by me in the tent with a few words of encouragement, and I remember thinking "good, he passed me in here where no one could see...now he'll kick my ass by an hour at least" :) I asked for some sunscreen and was promptly attacked by 5 more amazing volunteers who did their best to save my white skin. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

T2 time: 4:14 (3 whole seconds faster than 2007...gotta love consistency!)

Run: The first half of the run went by incredibly well. Almost too good, in retrospect. I stayed with my plan of walking thru each aid station, but in between, I roughly estimated that I was running in the low 9s, with maybe even a few high 8s in the beginning. Again, I was going on feel. I did try to get a split around mile 4, but I wasn't able to do the math. Timmmaaayy!!! :) I think it was around 9:15, including the walk break at the aid station.

Heading up Lakeside for the first time....

Somewhere out along the lake, I was rewarded for my efforts up to this point by again entering the range of the Tri Fusion bull horn. I think the crazed voice on the other end saw me before I saw them, actually. Since running is a significantly slower deal than cycling, this trip thru the Miracle Mile was much more intense for me. But intense in a good way. When I saw Andy, I tried to stop and chat with her for a bit, but my (loving?) teammates wouldn't have any of that. SOMEHOW I found myself running again rather quickly. It was freaking awesome, and I couldn't wait to get back to them. I remember thinking "good positioning on their part, cause the turnaround isn't too much farther....I'll be back in no time....Woo hoo!!!!"

I am smiling and have enough mental awareness to throw down our A+ sign...must be loop 1 :)

High fives from the A+ crew...heading back to town for the first time. I love this picture of Tiffany...I think she is doing some crazy new dance :) But her enthusiasm for little ole me is pretty cool

By the time I returned to the comfort of the Miracle Mile some 10 miles later, things got tough. I don't remember where it really started going down hill, but somewhere around mile 15 or 16, I noticed that wonderful "sloshing" feeling in my tummy. Was it possible to be overhydrated? I tried eating some pretzels and a cookie or two, but they sort of gave me some stomach cramps, so I gave up on that idea. Over time, Gatorade no longer tasted good (too sweet, I think) and I was forced to go on a water-only diet, with small bits of flat Coke thrown in for the sugar that I knew I needed to get down. Looking back, I wish I would have found the mental strength to get down a Gu or two, but in the heat of the battle, I just couldn't do it. Lesson for next time....

Also by this time, I was into the serious math phase. In other words, I was doing constant math trying to figure out how fast I needed to go to get under 12 hours. Somewhere along here, this sub-12 goal really came into focus, and every step forward made achieving this goal more and more of an absolute requirement. At the halfway point, I told myself I needed to do 10 minute miles. No problem, can do. In fact, I kept trying to put as much time in the bank as possible, knowing that I would need all those minutes later on. Mile 17, 9 to go, and I had just under 2 hours to that magical 12 hour mark. OK, 4 and a half miles an hour. I can do that. The clock was moving in the right direction, even if I might not have been......

My aid station walks got longer and longer the farther I went, and by the time I got to the bull horn again, I was desperately seeking out walking opportunities. In true teammate form, Steve walked a good ways with me, giving me encouraging words and damn near forcing me into running again. I think he ended up running over a mile with me, almost to the top of the hill. I sort of knew that technically he wasn't supposed to be doing this, but it was so nice to have someone familiar (and someone who I had suffered with many times over the course of the season) that I didn't protest or try and get him away from me. It took an official to do that :) Steve played the "dumb/sorry, I didn't know" card perfectly, so I didn't get a penalty. Sheer genius!!!

Walking with Steve...so we know it must be loop 2. This picture sums up my last 10 miles perfectly: lots of walking and lots of relying on my team

When I got back to the crew for the last time, I was in full-on crisis mode. Andy walked with me a little ways, until another official came up and told her to get away from me. I vaguely remember hearing the word "disqualification" and it actually sounded kind of good. I thought "really, if she like, touches me right now, you'll DQ me?!? sweet!! touch me right now, Andy!!!" I stopped to stretch for a bit, and then there was the most amazing ground-swell of energy and support I have ever experienced. As I started off again, the crew that had endured standing on the side of roads for the last 11 hours started yelling and going crazy for me. It was like I was Pre and they were "Pre's People" from Hayward Field, willing him/me to get to that finish line. Truly an amazing moment, one that I wish I could bottle up and experience again.

The IronFan Van then tracked alongside me with insane red and white clad people screaming at me for a few miles, until I hit mile 23. It was at this point that I knew I had it. Sub 12. It was going to be mine. Just a matter of somehow getting to Sherman Ave as quickly as possible, so I could soak in the glory.

Getting ready to turn off of Lake CDA Drive, heading for home.....

After not looking down Sherman Ave for at least 6 months, I took a brief moment to take it all in once I hit that corner. One last look at my watch, and I knew that I still had enough time in the bank to not have to sprint to the line. I tried to acknowledge as many congratulations as I could through eyes wanting to cry but just too tired.

Finally, a block from the finish, I saw Jessi and Tiffany jumping up and down screaming their heads off, and I let myself celebrate for the first time all day. I felt like I had done A+ proud.

Amazing how a big inflatable arch can seem like a gateway to heaven after 11+ hours....

Run time: 4:23:49 (6:27 slower than last year)

Total time: 11:46:59!!! 18:16 FASTER than last year!!!

As soon as I crossed the line, I was quickly attended to by a very nice volunteer in an Active Release Therapy (ART) shirt, who I will forver refer to as "The ART Guy" :) I have no idea if he was a volunteer, medical guy, or just some Ironman vendor/supporter, but I really didn't care, because he took a very keen interest in taking care of me. Thinking about it now, I'm betting that I looked a bit worse off at that moment than my previous two Ironmans, because this guy was pretty attentive and was asking me a bunch of questions, which has never happened before.

The ART Guy made sure I didn't fall down, and when I said I felt a bit cold (a bad sign), he rushed off to get me a space blanket. Then he asked me a very curious question. He wanted to know when was the last time I had gone to the bathroom. Again, in hindsight, this is a very logical question, but at the time it seemed weird. I had to think about it for a while (another bad sign, apparantly) and finally remembered that I had not gone since bike special needs. What??? I just did almost 12 hours of racing and had gone to the bathroom ONCE? Uh oh...definitely not a good sign. ART Guy quickly got me 3 more cups of fluid, since it was pretty likely that I was dehydrated.

He also made sure that someone I knew was coming to take care of me, and wouldn't leave until Andy and the rest of the IronFan crew fought thru the crowds to get to me. Once I was safely in the care of my fans, The ART Guy felt comfortable in leaving me. I really regret not getting his name or thanking him properly. He probably saved me from more long-term distress by taking care of me in those critical few minutes after I finished.

As I was coming down from my "Sherman Ave high", the gravity of what I had just done started hitting me. It was about the same time that Andy and Team A+ were giving me congratulatory hugs, and that's when the tears began flowing. Even though I didn't look too good, I can confirm that those tears were most certainly tears of joy, relief, and accomplishment. Somewhere out on the course, breaking the 12 hour barrier had become an all-consuming goal, and I had done it.

Unfortunately, this was the only celebration I could muster at this point....

After a few minutes of celebrating, sitting down started to sound really appealing, so Andy, the super IronSherpa led my weary body over to the recovery area.

I think this picture captures Andy's amazing support for me perfectly.

I sat in the recovery area for quite awhile, and managed to get my RecoverEase and chocolate milk down. After a half hour or so, I tried to make my way over to get my massage, but my body wasn't ready. I got really cold in a hurry, so I wandered over near the medical tent to get a few more space blankets. More very nice volunteers noticed my distress and took care of me for another half hour, until I decided that maybe it would be best if I got some dry clothes on. Duh! Andy and Steve were nice enough to go get my bags and bike out of transition, and Jessi and Emma took me over to the grass to sit in the sun to try and warm up. It was so nice of them to stay with me, and I even got my own little super fan, Emma to help keep me warm!

From pumpkin scone to "human baked potato" in just over 12 hours! :)

OK, time to put a bow on my day.....Was my Ironman 2008 a success? HECK YEAH!!! I am still over the moon with excitement about how my day went. I really don't think I could have gone much faster, and I am so happy that I achieved my goal. I think that when you achieve a goal, it is much sweeter when you really have to work to get it. And that would certainly qualify with my Ironman this year. I don't think I have ever fought harder in my life for something. I really wanted a sub-12, and so I went out there and took it. The last 10 miles of the run were super-tough, but I just couldn't let myself give in. And every time I wanted to, my team made sure I wouldn't. I guess its a good thing that I can say I really did leave everything I had out on the course (which would explain why I crashed so hard and fast once I finished, and why it took me almost a full week to finally feel back to 100%)

I'll wrap up this epic tale with some "thank yous".

First, to Andy, my inspiration, my biggest fan, best supporter, champion IronSherpa, and all-around awesome wife. Thank you for putting up with everything that goes along with this Ironman thing. I couldn't have done it without you, and I thought about how fortunate I am to have you alot while I was out there on the course. Even though we didn't get to run across the line together this year (and even though I totally missed you in the stands), you really were right there next to me when I hit the tape.

To my incredible A+ Team, Jessi and Tiffany: I tried to say something like this on the beach, but I was too nervous to form a coherent sentence :) I really owe you two a ton for the shape I was in on race day, both physically and mentally. More than you will ever know and more than I could ever say. You two have pushed me in so many ways that have taken me to heights I never thought I could achieve, and I am so grateful. What started with some weekly suffering in the pool turned out to be way more support and motivation than I deserve. You both have shown me what it means to be TOUGH (like an entire day on your feet cheering with a nasty injury, Jessi?!?), and I relied on that fact to get me one step further many times during the day.

To Steve, my training partner: Man, I'm really glad that we connected up to train so much together this year. When I train alone, I totally mail it in, but you would never let me slack off, and it means alot to me. My only regret is that our race schedules are off by a year! Cause it'd be so much fun to race with you. Thanks for the competitiveness, the respect, and the healthy perspective.

To Roger: Thanks for the text message on race morning. Your words were exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. I relied on that advice many times during the day, and it really helped me have a great "overall" day.

To the Tri Fusion family: I felt blessed (as I do each day) to be part of such a great team of supporters and athletes today. It was amazing to see so many red shirts out there, and every cheer helped me along the way. Even if I wasn't able to return your enthusiasm in kind, your words definitely made a difference.

To everyone else who sent well wishes, texts, e-mails, positive thoughts: THANKS a million! I value your support more than you will ever know.

So now, I get a year off from Ironman. I am really looking forward to the mental and physical break, and I am happy that I get to enjoy it in peace, having gotten what I wanted!

Blue Lake race report

This may be a slightly shorter than normal and more random race report, since I have some other, more pressing issues occupying my thoughts these days (Ironman).

Suffice it to say, however, that the Blue Lake weekend was an absolute blast. We carpooled with Steve, and had the Pilot loaded up with 4 Cervelos, since Tiffany's bike needed a ride down to Portland. It was an awesome sight...I think that people probably thought that we were like some professionals, official reps of Cervelo.

Saturday, we picked up Steve, who wasn't racing, at 5:15am. After a rather lengthy night, he stepped up big time to come support Andy and I at our races, all at some insane hour of the day. We did have to stop once on the way so Steve could get some water and something to eat, which turned into the longest stop at a convenience store at 5:45am EVER. We think the employees were convinced we were casing the joint, but really, it would have been much better for everyone if they had just done their job. Anyway, I digress.

Race setup went pretty smooth for me, and Steve graciously helped out Andy get set up and calmed her down during some pre-race crazy moments. I answered a bunch of "newbie" questions in transition, which is one of the aspects of the Saturday sprint race that I love so much. The feel is very laid back, and alot of folks use this race as their first-ever triathlon. I really get a kick out of seeing the transition from pre-race nervousness to post-race excitement from so many people. Once I got into the water, I was totally stoked that the water felt warm! Maybe it is a benefit from living (and swimming) in the cold northland. The race start was delayed a bit, but since I was in the 2nd wave, I didn't have to wait too long.

My swim went pretty good overall, and for once I didn't feel like I was getting left behind. I also was able to get on some feet and get some good drafting in, although I think one guy I was drafting wasn't too happy about it. Oh well. I had quite a suprise as I rounded the last buoy when I saw 2 red caps (from the elite wave that went off 1 min ahead of us). Sweet! Normally, in wave start races, I have to struggle to hold off the faster swimmers from later waves, so this was a nice confidence booster.

I had what felt like a pretty quick and calm T1, and as I was running to the mount line, Steve was there telling me that I was maybe 2 or 3 minutes down on the leaders. Whoa! I had another good bike mount, with my shoes on the bike again, which was nice, because at this race last year, I "crashed" at the mount line. I felt great on the bike, quickly passing people and moving up nicely. When I got to the turnaround, I was 11th on the road. Wow. Maybe Steve was being honest and not just trying to make me feel better! I saw Andy out on the bike as I was heading in, and she was smiling like a crazy person, just loving life and her new bike. It warmed my heart up to see that she was finally having fun on the bike. I passed 2 more riders on the way back in, and succeeded in holding off the few guys behind me who looked like they were riding strong. Coming off the bike, I was totally over the moon, because I knew that I had a good ride.

Now, time for my strong point...T2. Its really the only thing I can do well in triathlon, and I totally rocked it. In fact, out of 532 athletes, I had the fastest T2 of anyone. OK, so its cheesy, but, hey, I gotta win something, right?!? :)

Going out on the run, my feet were like blocks of ice, but I just suffered thru until the feeling came back. I didn't want to get passed, but there was nobody in sight for me to chase down, so my entire run was a "running scared" effort. At the run turnaround, I was 8th on the road, and I could tell that I was not going to catch any of the guys in front of me. So I focused on trying to not get passed. However, right after I turned around, there were 3 or 4 guys right there. Yikes. Thank goodness that it was only a mile and a half that I had to suffer thru. I could see that one guy was looking better than I was feeling, but I also knew that he wasn't in my age group so it didn't worry me too much. I held him off until we had a half mile to go. Then, as we entered the park and the final quarter mile or so, I could feel that there was another guy right behind me. I started my kick a bit early, and was in full on freak-out running mode. I didn't know at this point if he was in my age group or not, but I convinced myself that he was, and that I was fighting for an age group placing. Every time I could feel him back there, I would lift my pace, and try and run his kick out of him. The gauntlet was thrown down about 400 meters from the finish (thank goodness I knew the course very well), when a friend of his who was spectating said to him "Go pass that guy (me)". Ok, so he's close enough that I could still hear what his friend said. And what he said did not sit well with me. I said to myself "I'll be dammed if you pass me now. No way in hell that's going to happen. You can try, buy you'll die trying." Up the last hill and into the finish chute, I was running for my life, but I did hold him off! Yes!! In the end, I found out that he had started with the elite wave, so he had a minute head start on me anyway, but it felt good nonetheless to be able to hold him off.

After basking in my own post-race glow and waiting for Andy to finish her race, it was fun to hang out with some Tri Fusion folks that had come out to cheer for us. So nice!! Andy came in smiling from ear to ear, and in general had a kick ass race. I was so happy for her that she finally had a good experience at a multisport race. I think that bike was one of the best things we have bought for her.

Then it was time to check results. SHOCK time. I finished 12th overall (out of 532) and 2nd in my age group (out of 48). WHOA!!!! Far and away my best finish in a race ever. As a bonus, Andy also placed 2nd in her age group! I am so proud of her!! She was nervous about doing her first race on her new bike, and she just totally went out there an dominated.

So, it was a good day for Team Swanson :)

Sunday, we again got up early and paid back Steve for his early Saturday wake up call. But, not before the required Starbucks stop. Nice to have my race done for the weekend!

It was a total blast watching all of our Tri Fusion teammates put in some amazing performances. I can't remember the last time I actually got to watch a race, and it was a ton of fun. I got some good perspective on T1 technique by standing near the bike mount line, and I had some fun taking pictures of all of our team out on the course.

I even had time to work on my skywalking abilities. Isn't this picture cool? It totally looks like I'm 5 feet above the ground. Sweet perspective!

Overall, our team did awesome.  I really enjoyed seeing everyone step up and overcome some adversity to help out the team.  Notable performances were Michelle who walked alone and still came across the finish line, Tiffany totally rocking her first Olympic distance race, Kirk fighting through leg pain to finish, Heather and Virginia never saying die, and Jessi, who totally sucked it up and would not let a pain in the butt to beat her :)

Part of the Tri Fusion team

As always, my amazing A+ team showed what they are made of: toughness with a smile!

After a stop at McMenamins for lunch (a bit longer than planned) and a stop to retrieve Tiffany's missing pillow from the hotel, Andy, Steve and I set off for home.  The drive back was an absolute laugh-fest.  Mostly, it was Steve and I cracking ourselves up, but we had fun texting back and forth with Tiffany and Trish.  The following is one short highlight of the hysterics:

Tim: "We just went past the scene of the crime.  Mile post 146.  Where are you guys?"

Trish: "Almost to Connell. Where is mile post 146?"

Tim: "It is about one mile west of mile post 147. Duh!"

Tiffany's pillow certainly had an adventurous trip back home....but that's another story for another day :)

Thanks to everyone for a fantastic weekend!!!  And now....*sigh* here we go.....